In the field of wireless communication, there has been increasing demand for direct device-to-device communication (D2D), direct mobile communication (DMC), and the like. This form of communications refers to a communications mode between two or more user equipment (UE) that does not include or does not always include a communications controller in a communication path between or among the UEs. DMC will be used herein to denote this form of communication. Generally, DMC communications involve direct communications between multiple DMC devices (the DMC devices are also commonly referred to as User Equipments (UE), mobile stations, mobiles, communications devices, subscribers, terminals, and the like) occurring as point-to-point (PTP) communications without having the communications passing through and being fully controlled by a communications controller, such as an evolved NodeB (eNB), a NodeB, a base station, a controller, a communications controller, and the like.
FIG. 1a illustrates a prior art communications system 100, wherein UE, such as UE 110 and UE 115, are communicating with an eNB 105. Communications that are controlled by a communications controller, such as eNB 105, may be generally referred to as cellular communications. It is noted that while only two UEs are represented in FIG. 1a, in practice, there may be more than two UEs communicating with each other. As an example, multiple UEs would be communicating with each other if a multicast group is set up.
FIG. 1b illustrates a prior art communications system 150, wherein UE 160 and UE 165 are communicating using DMC communications. As shown in FIG. 1b, communications system 150 includes an eNB 155, but with UE 160 and UE 165 using DMC communications, their communications are directly exchanged without interaction with eNB 155.